Patentable/Patents/US-9646890
US-9646890

Replacement metal gates to enhance transistor strain

PublishedMay 9, 2017
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

Some embodiments of the present invention include apparatuses and methods relating to NMOS and PMOS transistor strain.

Patent Claims
6 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. A semiconductor structure, comprising: an NMOS transistor and a PMOS transistor above a silicon substrate; a first gate stack for the PMOS transistor, the first gate stack comprising a workfunction metal layer; a second gate stack for the NMOS transistor, the second gate stack comprising a layer comprising titanium and aluminum, wherein the workfunction metal layer of the first gate stack is not included in the second gate stack, and wherein the layer comprising titanium and aluminum is over the workfunction metal layer in the first gate stack; a source region and a drain region for the NMOS transistor; a raised source region and a raised drain region for the PMOS transistor, the raised source and drain regions comprising a silicon germanium layer creating a stressed channel for the PMOS device, and the raised source and drain regions extending above a surface of the silicon substrate over which the first gate stack is formed; and a nitride layer over the silicon germanium layer and co-planar with an uppermost surface of the first gate stack.

2

2. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the first and second gate stacks comprise a same fill metal.

3

3. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein the first and second gate stacks comprise a first and second gate dielectric layer, respectively.

4

4. The semiconductor structure of claim 3 , wherein the first and second gate dielectric layers comprise U-shaped gate dielectric layers.

5

5. The semiconductor structure of claim 3 , wherein the first and second gate dielectric layers comprise hafnium oxide.

6

6. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , further comprising a silicide layer on the silicon germanium layer.

Classification Codes (CPC)

Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.

Patent Metadata

Filing Date

April 28, 2016

Publication Date

May 9, 2017

Want to explore more patents?

Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.

Citation & reuse

Analysis on this page is generated by Patentable — an AI-powered patent intelligence platform. AI-generated summaries, explanations, and analysis may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL below. Patent abstracts and claims are USPTO public domain.

Cite as: Patentable. “Replacement metal gates to enhance transistor strain” (US-9646890). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9646890

© 2026 Patentable. All rights reserved.

Patentable is a research and drafting-assistant tool, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. Documents we generate are drafts for review by a licensed patent attorney.